“Peeta presses his hand against the surface and I put my own up to meet it, as if I can feel him through the wall. I see his lips moving but I can’t hear him, can’t hear anything outside our wedge. I try to make out what he’s saying, but I can’t focus, so I just stare at his face, doing my best to hang on to my sanity.”
Peeta is a homophone for "pita," a type of bread (given that the Mellark family vocation is baking, with which Peeta personally seems to take a genuine interest). "Peeta" is also a derivation of Peter, which means "the rock," which is a role that Peeta seems to play for Katniss (despite her best efforts, she does indeed need his grounding to stay alive, sane, and -- eventually -- happy). The homophone "pietà" is Italian for "pity" or "lamentation," particularly in a religious context (Michelangelo's favorite of his sculptures was the Pietà, Jesus' body cradled by Mary. It has long been legend that Michelangelo stabbed a man to achieve the knowledge necessary to sculpt the human form in its moment of death so accurately). Together with Finnick's name, Peeta's name (and one of his symbolic tropes) help to create "loaves and fishes," which go on to allude that they help to feed the entire nation of Panem. Peeta's name is also a literal part of Panem itself, as panem means "bread" and Peeta is a type of bread. "Mellark" is less clear. It is likely portmanteau or a proprietary name; however, it does find origin in "lark," which is a type of songbird (which would relate to the pointed mention that when Katniss sings, "all the birds stopped to listen." Also to the whole mockingjay bit). In old Europe, lark tongue was considered a highly-prized delicacy (which relates to SC's iteration that Peeta constructs and relates to his world through speech). Traditional Western literature uses the lark to symbolize merriment as the lark sang hymns at the gates of heaven; the lark was the bird that announced the coming of the day. Because of the bird's boundless energy, it is said the lark is also the symbol of hope, happiness, and of good fortune; creativity -- all things that Peeta is an allegory for!
ACTUAL “FICTIONALFACT” FOR WHERE “PEETA” CAME FROM.
And it’s not “irony” just because it’s clever and insightful. That isn’t what “irony” means.
A Most Intelligent Conversation
- Dad: So, for the last six months-
- Me: Two and a half.
- Dad: You dont even know what Im going to say!
- Me: Fine, continue.
- Dad: For the last six months, all me and your mother have been hearing about is Fullmetal Alchemist-
- Me: Two and a half months, dad.
- Dad: Okay, fine. Two and a half months. But I want to know, how do you intend to handle yourself in the real world? You cant just read books forever.
- Me: Watch me.
- Dad: Well, you could, but... Okay, lets try something. Pretend I'm a new kid at your school. I come up to you and ask you what your name is. What do you say?
- Me: I'M A HOUSEWIFE!
- Dad: Look, sweetie, its great that you like books so much, but you cant ju-
- Me: THIS IS MAHOGONY
- Eugene: ...I should bring you up North for Christmas one year
- Eugene: Or take you hunting or something
- Eugene: Pittsburgh in the Fall is beautiful
- Paige: I'd be about as helpful as Peeta.
- Eugene: And we have real winter
- Eugene: How loud could you really be sitting in a tree
- Eugene: Okay
- Eugene: Maybe not hunting
